Tufting presser foot for zigzag sewing machines



1969 s. s. :JACOBSEN ETAL 3,

TUFTING PRESSER FOOT FOR ZIGZAC: SEWING MACHINES Filed May 8, 1967INVENTOR- Sigurd S. Jacobsan, Frank J. Barfosz, and Manfred R. Laidig ATORNEY Witness flgahnal 75 41 United States Patent 2 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A sewing machine presser foot is disclosed having aneedle aperture into which two parallel stitch supporting fingersproject. The simultaneous formation of two rows of tufted stitches usingthis presser foot is illustrated.

Summary of the invention This invention relates to sewing machineattachments for producing tufted seams by the provision of a stitchsupporting finger over which successive stitches are formed to produceelongated loops or tufts of the sewing thread on the fabric beingstitched.

While it is known in the art to provide a stitch supporting finger overwhich stitches may be formed to provide loose stitching or to providetufted stitches, it is an object of the present invention to provide anovel arrangement of a plurality of such stitch supporting fingers on apresser device which is advantageously useable on a zigzag sewingmachine capable of producing a multiple stitch zigzag pattern. Thesewing machine needle thereby stepping over a respective one of theplurality of stitch supporting fingers on each of the multiple stitchesduring each lateral jog of the needle so as to produce simultaneously aplurality of rows of tufted stitches.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel and effectivearrangement for securing the stitch supporting fingers on the presserdevice utilizing a single rivet and notch means in the needle apertureof the presser device both to locate and to secure the stitch supportingfingers in predetermined position thereon.

Description of the views of the drawings With the above and additionalobjects in view, this invention will be described with reference to theaccompanying drawing of a preferred embodiment in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a presser foot embodying the features ofthis invention illustrated together with a fragment of a conventionalsewing machine presser bar and needle bar and showing a fragment of workfabric being stitched,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to that of FIG. 1 but without thework fabric and stitches,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 33 ofFIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the presser foot of FIGS. 1 and 2, and

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the presser foot of FIGS. 1and 2.

Detailed description Referring to the drawings, 11 indicates a presserbar of a sewing machine formed wit h a slabbed portion 12 against whicha presser foot is adapted to be accommodated. The slabbed portion of thepresser bar may be formed with a tapped hole (not shown) to receive aknurled fastening screw 13 for securing a presser foot thereto.Indicated at 14 is a needle bar preferably of the 3,420,197 PatentedJan. 7, 1969 type which can partake of both endwise reciprocatory aswell as laterial jogging motion for the formation of zigzag stitching. Aneedle clamp 15 on the needle bar serves to secure thereto aneye-pointed thread carrying sewing machine needle 16.

The sewing machine of which the needle and presser bars form a portion,for the purpose of this invention, is preferably of the type as is knownin the art which is capable of producing a multistitch zigzag pattern. Amultistitch zigzag pattern is one in which the jogging of the needlefrom one side to the other is accomplished in a series of steps, eachstep in the same lateral direction and with a stitch being formed ateach step.

The presser foot of this invention is formed with a shank provided atthe upper extremity with a presser bar embracing tang 21 which isslotted as at 22 to accommodate the knurled fastening screw 13.Extending angularly from the bottom of the presser foot shank is a flatsole plate 23 formed at the free extremity with a toe portion 24 whichis preferably upturned.

The presser foot sole plate 23 is formed with needle accommodatingaperture indicated generally at which extends from a front wall portion31 adjacent to the toe portion of the presser foot sole plate rearwardlyto the presser foot shank. The presser foot shank is formed with anaperture 32 which joins the sole plate needle aperture 30 and extendsupwardly therefrom. The side walls 33 and 34 of the needle aperture 30may preferably be slightly tapered converging toward the presser footshank. In the front wall 31 of the needle aperture a notch 35 is formedwhich serves, as will be described hereinbelow, to locate and secure thetuft forming elements in place on the presser foot.

The stitch supporting member which provides for the formation of tuftsis indicated generally as at and is preferably formed of a continuoussheet metal strip which is bent at its center into a U shape. Each freeextremity of the U-shaped bent strip defines separate stitch supportingfingers 41 and 42 which are joined at the base 43 of the U-shapedmember. Preferably, each of the stitch supporting fingers are congruentand slightly tapered downwardly at the top toward the free extremity.The Width of the stitch supporting fingers 41 and 42 determines theheight of the tufts which will be formed over the fingers by the sewingthreads and the fingers may, therefore, be formed of a widthconsiderably greater than the thickness of the presser foot sole plate23. Preferably, a step 44 is formed in the underside of the base portion43 of the stitch supporting member 43 so that when applied upon thepresser foot sole plate, the stitch supporting fingers 41 and 42 willproject downwardly into the needle aperture.

The stitch supporting member 40 is secured on the presser foot soleplate by means of a rivet which is set into a hole 51 in the toe portionof the presser foot sole plate. The rivet passes within the base of theU-shaped stitch supporting member and is formed with a head 52 whichoverlies and constrains the stitch supporting member on the presserfoot. As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the stitch supporting fingers41 and 42 depend into and engage the notch 35 on the front wall of theneedle aperture thus to constrain the stitch supporting member 40 fromturning about the axis of the rivet 50 and providing a means forlocating the stitch supporting fingers 41 and 42 in a predeterminedparallel relation as indicated by the space A in FIG. 4. As alsoillustrated in FIG. 4, the needle aperture side Walls 33 and 34 arespaced apart a sufficient distance as to extend laterally from thestitch supporting fingers each a distance B, C respectively, which isequal to the spacing A between the stitch supporting fingers 41 and 42.

In FIG. 2, the needle 16 is illustrated in a central position passingbetween the stitch supporting fingers 41 and 42, and dot and dashedlines R and L indicate the right and left hand positions of the needleduring a multiple stitch zigzag pattern of needle jogging motion. FIG. 1illustrates a work fabric 60 in which a seam is being stitched utilizinga needle thread 61 and in which the needle partakes of the multistitchzigzag pattern of movement successively into the three positionsillustrated by the needle and lines R and L in FIG. 2. As illustrated inFIG. 1, the needle has completed a stitch in the position correspondingto the line L in FIG. 2 and will next penetrate between the stitchsupporting fingers 41 and 42 as in the solid line position illustratedin FIG. 2 and [make a loop or tuft in the row of tufts 62 which arefor-med over the stitch supporting finger 42. Following this stitch theneedle will next penetrate in the position corresponding to the line Rof FIG. 2 and will produce a loop or tuft in the row of tufts 63 overthe stitch supporting finger 41. The work fabric 60 will be fed towardthe rear of the presser foot by any conventional Work feeding mechanismof the sewing machine during each stitch formation and thus the loops ortufts in the rows 62 or 63 will be drawn with the work fabric off thefree extremity of the stitch supporting fingers, clearance for suchmovement of the tufts being provided by the presser foot shank aperture32 which preferably extends upwardly from the sole plate a distanceequal to the height of the stitch supporting fingers 41 and 42.

It will be appreciated that while two stitch supporting fingers and amultistitch zigzag pattern movable in three lateral positions of theneedle is illustrated in the drawings, a greater number of stitchsupporting fingers can be actuated together with multistitch zigzagpattern providing a correspondingly greater number of successive lateralsteps during jogging motion in each direction. The use of a sheet metalstitch supporting finger which may be relatively thin and does notoccupy inordinate space in the needle aperture provide for the use ofthe largest number of stitch supporting fingers to be accommodatedbetween the maximum lateral shift of the needle of the zigzag sewingmachine.

Having thus set forth the nature of this invention, what we claim hereinis:

1. A sewing machine presser foot for forming tufted seams comprising ashank, means on said shank for 10- cating said presser foot relativelyto a sewing machine, a flat sole plate projecting angularly from saidshank and terminating in a toe portion, said sole plate having formedtherein a needle aperture, a stitch supporting member, a plurality ofstitch supporting fingers on said stitch supporting member extending inequidistant and substantially parallel relation, said stitch supportingfingers each comprising a fiat blade having width substantially greaterthan the thickness of the presser foot sole plate, means for securingsaid stitch supporting member on said sole plate adjacent the toeportion thereof with said stitch supporting fingers arrangedsubstantially normal to said flat sole plate and extending into saidneedle aperture toward said shank, said needle aperture in said soleplate extending to said presser foot shank, and said presser foot shankhaving formed therein an aperture joining said needle aperture andextending from said sole plate a distance substantially equal to thewidth of said flat blades.

2. A sewing machine presser foot as set forth in claim 1 in which saidstitch supporting member comprises a sheet metal strip bent into U shapeof which the free extremities define equidistant stitch supportingfingers, and which said means for securing said stitch supporting memberon said sole plate comprises notch means formed in that edge of saidneedle aperture adjacent to said sole plate toe portion and having awidth substantially equal to the distance between said stitch supportingfinger, a headed fastener passing within the base of said U-shapedstitch supporting member, and means for securing said sole plate withsaid stitch supporting fingers each engaged in said notch means.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

